Agnes Fuyuko Hamagami

Agnes Fuyuko Hamagami (nee Yamada) of Cincinnati, Ohio and most recently of Los Angeles, California, was born in Sendai, Japan on February 15, 1926, and peacefully passed away at home with her family by her side on July 3, 2014. She married Luke T. Hamagami, MD, PhD in 1943 and moved from Japan with their eldest daughter Cecilia, 1950 to Cincinnati, Ohio and raised a family. She is survived by her daughters Cecilia (Seitaro Furuichi) of Tokyo, Louise (Marc Shmuger) of Los Angeles and Monica (Andrew Berghausen) of Cincinnati. She leaves behind her beloved grandchildren Luke and Hiro Shmuger and Natsu Furuichi of Los Angeles and Maxwell Berghausen of Cincinnati. She was predeceased in death by her husband Luke T. Hamagami, parents, Mitsuo and Hisako Yamada, and brother Shigeru Yamada. In Cincinnati, Agnes worked with her husband to start Hamagami Laboratories, a clinical laboratory in 1957. Several years after the death of her husband in 1985, Agnes relocated to Los Angeles to live with her daughter Louise and her family where she lovingly watched her grandsons grow up, and was affectionately known to all as "Granny". Blessed with a kind heart, the patience of a Japanese mother, and a witty and sharp sense of humor, she touched the hearts of many from Cincinnati to Los Angeles to Japan and beyond. A private memorial will be held for family and close friends in Cincinnati. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to A PLACE CALLED HOME, a community center in South Central Los Angeles where underserved youth are impowered through programs in the arts and education. www.apch.org